T20 World Cup 2026: Match 7, SCO vs ITA Match Prediction – Who will win today’s T20 World Cup match between Scotland vs Italy?

In Match No. 7 of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Scotland (SCO) will be facing a strong Italy (ITA) side in a Group C encounter at the historic venue of Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, February 9.

Scotland have been in quite a poor run of form in the shortest format of the game of late. They have lost all three of their preceding 20-over encounters, the latest of which was against the West Indies on Saturday. If they want to give themselves a genuine chance of making it further in the tournament, getting a couple of points on Monday would be the first step in achieving so.

Italy, on the other hand, surprised everyone by qualifying for the twenty-team tournament. During the qualifiers ahead of the main event, Italy were led by Joe Burns; however, the ace batter has not been included in the squad for the ongoing tournament. It will be interesting to see how they fare under the leadership of Wayne Madsen. 

SCO vs ITA: Match Details

Eden Gardens, Kolkata: Pitch Report

The Eden Gardens in Kolkata is among the oldest cricketing landmarks in the world, and it will be the host to an epic clash between Italy and Scotland, where the pitch is expected to assist the batters early on. Out of the last five T20Is played here since 2022, sixty per cent have been won by the teams defending the total. Opting to bat first can be a perfect choice on a surface that tends to get better for the bowlers as the match progresses.

SCO vs ITA: Head-to-Head T20I Record

SCO vs ITA: Predicted Playing XIs

Scotland

George Munsey, Michael Jones, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross (wicketkeeper), Mark Watt, Michael Leask, Oliver Davidson, Safyaan Sharif, Brad Currie

Italy

Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, JJ Smuts, Wayne Madsen (captain), Harry Manenti, Gian-Piero Meade (wicketkeeper), Grant Stewart, Marcus Campopiano, Jaspreet Singh, Ali Hasan, Crishan Kalugamage

SCO vs ITA: Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: George Munsey

George Munsey is the most vital cog in the Scottish batting unit. The left-handed batter has scored 179 runs in his last five outings in T20 internationals, which includes a couple of half-centuries as well. The opening batter will look to get some runs under his belt, having acclimatised himself to the conditions of the venue in the previous outing in Kolkata.

Probable Best Bowler: JJ Smuts

JJ Smuts, the all-rounder who once played for South Africa, is representing Italy for the first time in a global tournament. His skills with the ball are certainly underrated, but the cricketer will look to change the narrative with an inspirational spell in the upcoming fixture. What makes Smuts extremely lethal is his ability to vary the ball in terms of pace and stick to his wicket-taking options.

Today's Match Prediction: Team batting first to win the match